Mike Clarke (born August 12, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who, in 1973, was drafted by both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association.
Although Clarke played 11 seasons of professional hockey, he never played a game in either of major leagues that had drafted him.
Early life Born 1953 in Didsbury, Alberta, Canada, Clarke played major junior hockey with the Calgary Centennials of the Western Hockey League.
Career Clarke was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd round (42nd overall) of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, and was also selected by the New England Whalers in the 2nd round (26th overall) of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.
Ckarke began his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1973 with the Richmond Robins, then the minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Following his rookie campaign, Clarke was bounced around the minor leagues, playing in the AHL, NAHL, IHL, and EHL.
Clarke achieved his best success with the Flint Generals during the 1976–77 season when he racked up 108 points in 78 games with IHL team. In all he would play five seasons and 342 games with the Generals, scoring a total of 380 points for the Flint team.
Midway through the 1981–82 season, the Generals dealt Clarke to the Fort Wayne Komets where he continued to produce by scoring 127 points in 127 games for the Komets.
Clarke's 11 season professional career concluded following the 1983–84 season. He retired as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings after being traded to that team by Fort Wayne earlier that season. His total professional statistics are summed up with 721 points in 747 regular season games, with another 66 points scored in 60 post-season games.
Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Calgary Centennials WCHL 38 0 6 6 8 — — — — — 1971–72 Lethbridge Sugar Kings AJHL 23 13 22 35 16 — — — — — 1972–73 Calgary Centennials WCHL 68 21 38 59 25 — — — — — 1973–74 Richmond Robins AHL 73 17 30 47 23 5 2 6 8 4 1974–75 Philadelphia Firebirds NAHL-Sr. 56 23 29 52 63 4 1 2 3 9 1974–75 Richmond Robins AHL 11 1 3 4 6 — — — — — 1975–76 Flint Generals IHL 63 39 34 73 16 4 1 5 6 6 1975–76 Springfield Indians AHL 7 0 3 3 13 — — — — — 1976–77 Flint Generals IHL 78 43 65 108 40 1 0 1 1 0 1977–78 Flint Generals IHL 79 33 45 78 44 3 1 2 3 0 1978–79 Flint Generals IHL 80 44 46 90 31 10 1 6 7 9 1979–80 Richmond Rifles EHL-Pro 61 44 34 78 25 5 3 2 5 5 1979–80 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 12 3 2 5 2 — — — — — 1980–81 Richmond Rifles EHL-Pro 52 31 16 47 38 10 8 5 13 0 1980–81 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 23 1 3 4 32 — — — — — 1981–82 Flint Generals IHL 42 16 15 31 12 — — — — — 1981–82 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 32 12 30 42 14 9 6 3 9 0 1982–83 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 76 35 37 72 11 10 3 8 11 10 1983–84 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 19 5 8 13 10 — — — — — 1983–84 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 39 11 15 26 20 3 2 1 3 2 AHL totals 126 22 41 63 76 5 2 6 8 4 IHL totals 508 238 295 533 198 40 14 26 40 27
Further reading Toledo Blade - Feb 10, 1978 - Page 15 - He Shoots, He Scores' Give Announcers Laryngitis at Flint The Milwaukee Journal - Dec 22, 1978- Page 15 - Admirals' Defeat Gift Wrapped The Milwaukee Sentinel - Dec 23, 1978 - Part 2, Page 1 - Flint Spoils Admirals' Christmas The Argus-Press - Feb 3, 1979 - Page 11 - Admirals as Good as Generals The Milwaukee Sentinel - Part 2, Page 2 - Feb 3, 1979 - Admirals tie Toledo Blade - Dec 21, 1981- Page 33 - Fraser's Clutch Goals Lift Diggers To Overtime Victory The Argus-Press - Apr 10, 1982- Page 10 - Toledo Two Up On Flint
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